Forum:Kythorn 2113
Beltane, the Baychimo and the Blackened Sun: Beltane-Kythorn 4th During the holiday of Beltane, most of the Pathfinders partook in the spring celebrations of life, love and relationships. Of particular note, Goshan proposed to Jura, and Ru spent the day (and those following) in the company of Arcade. Rinzler, in lieu of celebrating, took off in the ornithopter that he had repaired and managed to fly to the ocean over the course of several days. There were several rough spots, particularly while flying over the Wyrm's Teeth, but he managed to make it to his destination largely unscathed. On the 3rd of Kythorn, Rinzler, Jura and Kat met up with Ru and Arcade on the Rheic Shores. They walked south in order to find and investigate a weird ship that Arcade had spotted a while ago. The group purged it of its undead crew and learned of its purpose as an exploratory vessel from Rodinia. Afterwards, they spent the day milling about the beach. On the 4th of Kythorn, the five of them teleported to the Great Tree Shrine. They blessed Foculan's Branch with the Angel's Tears here, and found a message left by a druid who wished to find allies in order to free the slaves kept in the nearby gem mine. From there, they Wind Walked north to the Cathedral of the Blackened Sun, where they entered stealthily: Arcade, Rinzler and Jura donning some robes they had taken from the laundry to try and blend in, with Rinzler and Jura using magical aid to appear as changelings, while Ru and Kat stayed gaseous and invisible. They investigated the main cathedral room, then followed the Geomancer's Wand to the Chanticleer's currently-occupied study. Ru passed underneath the door and snooped about the room while invisible, spying on a large amount of missives and maps regarding the Dead Nation's forces. Having no better way to bypass the warded door though, the disguised Pathfinders eventually just knocked and asked for permission to enter. The Chanticleer identified them almost immediately despite their disguises, and proceeded to distract them with polite words until he could make his escape through a secret passage in the back of his study. The group grabbed the exposed notes within the room, and a book of scripture written by the Necromancer and his disciples, before a skinless undead creature, an Ecorche, broke through the door. Though Jura was almost flayed alive in the process, the five managed to assume Wind Walk form again, and from there escaped the cathedral with no further troubles. The Pathfinders proceeded directly back to Willowdale while Arcade returned to the shores. Upon return, they found that everything that they had captured save the book had vanished, leaving only blank paper. Freeing the Vale: Kythorn 6th-8th On the 6th of Kythorn, Gorgoroth, Kat, Rinzler, and Jura travelled to the Sawtooth Vale in order to destroy the machinations of the Dead Nation and improve the lives of the orc people there. They set out early in the morning, using the druid circle to arrive quickly. Their first stop was the Longhouse of the Exiled Elders, where they met with the Warchief while Gorgoroth waited a distance away. At first, the warchief questioned them about the whereabouts of his son, before they redirected the conversation to the state of the orc village. He willingly gave them all of the information he had regarding the area, telling them all he knew of the orogs, the druids, the state of affairs at the Orc Fortress, and the various means they could use to dethrone the orc king. At the end of their conversation, he demanded that they bring forth his son so that they might fight; the Pathfinders relented and called for Gorgoroth. At first, the Warchief was taken aback by the appearance of his Reincarnated son, but the two challenged each other and began combat. Gorgoroth quickly and easily bested the old orc, but at the last moment spared the elder's life, much to the confusion and anger of the loser. The other elders watched this mercy with approval, and declared that he should be the one to dethrone the corrupt king. However, they said that he could not challenge him as he was: he must first go to an ancient shrine deep in the southern jungles and recieve a blessing from the Orc Maker. After triangulating the position of the shrine, the group teleported to the jungle and quickly found an ancient, withered building in the shape of a face. Locating the entrance, they decended into the cool depths below. At the bottom of some stairs, they found a large, mostly empty room, containing only moss, pottery fragments, and an eroded statue of an orc sitting cross-legged and holding a bowl. The bowl, rusted and worn, was filled with water that dripped slowly down from the overgrown ceiling above. Gorgoroth ran forward and peered into the bowl, and was surprised to see that his reflection was not that of a gnoll, but rather his original half-orc form. Jura looked in the bowl, but was only greeted by her normal reflection; Rinzler and Kat saw what were obviously their own reflections, except changed to appear as though they were half-orcs. Enthusiastically, Gorgoroth drank deeply from the bowl, and within moments, his body changed, restoring him to his original form, permanently turning him back into a half-orc. Jura experimented with the waters, but found that even if she changed her shape with magic, it never had any effect on her. Wondering what use they could possibly have for a fountain that turned people into orcs, they remembered Wutog. Using Sending, they spoke to her, and she excitedly agreed to drink from the fountain; Teleporting her there, she drank deeply. Though the water did change her back into a half-orc, she remained a woman. Jura immediately began suggesting various magics that could be used to alter her gender, but she declined: she didn't want to push her luck, and she had already adjusted reasonably well. After some pleasant chatter, they returned her to Ashi-Gompa, and returned themselves to the Vale. Setting out to the east, they set a course for the orc Burial Grounds, where the druids were surmised to be. They found the area cordoned off, warning away unwary travellers, but they proceeded in regardless. Searching about, they found bones and half-decomposed bodies scattered amongst the trees, where people had lain the deceased to slowly return to the earth and their ancestors. Eventually, they came upon a white raven, a powerful omen for the local people, and followed it deeper into the woods. It led them to a small cottage, where an orc man was sitting out back. They approached him, but upon noticing them, he held up his hands, warning them away, and promptly and violently vomited into a bucket. As the group stood around awkwardly, watching the man retch, a woman came out from the cottage and reassured them that he was merely partaking in a sacred root, which would purge his body and grant him visions. She seemed to know of their coming, and invited them in to rest. They spoke to the druid woman and informed her of their intent to dethrone the king and bring back the old ways to the orcs; she approved, and said that maybe it was time for the druids to regather and reconnect with the elders and the village. This opinion was strengthened when they told her that the shadow druids had been disbanded and the druid circle was free again. However, she did suggest that the Pathfinders' current plan to poison and destroy the orogs was harsh, for they were living creatures regardless of their means of birth. Accepting her criticism, they instead decided to destroy the mine entrance, convincing the orcs and Dead Nation of the orogs destruction while allowing the orogs themselves to move deeper into the mines. With that, she offered them some of the sacred root, so that they could use its powerful emetic properties against their enemies; Gorgoroth misunderstood her meaning and immediately swallowed all of the root. The group then had to stay overnight while the barbarian experienced severe digestive distress, followed by a series of cryptic dreams. On the 7th, with Gorgoroth's health restored, the group proceeded to the mine. They found it lightly guarded by three orcs in a guard tower, with only a single other individual napping in a nearby tent. Sneaking past the guards, Jura and Rinzler rigged the entrance with explosives while Kat and Gorgoroth moved further in. Kat began casting repeated uses of Wall of Stone to more effectively seal the entrance, while Gorgoroth woke the sleeping orogs, claiming to be their new leader. He quickly riled the somewhat dim creatures, and with great enthusiasm for their new "assignment", they all ran south, deep into the mines where they could hopefully live in peace. However, the noise they made alerted one of the guards, who came to the mine shaft to investigate. Jura took the form of a white raven and flew out of the shaft, brushing past the orc's head. She landed on a nearby tree and regarded the man, who quietly and reverently approached her. She fluttered into his hands when he offered them, awing the man to no end; telepathically, she whispered, "The old ways are returning." With that, Rinzler and Kat, both invisible, exited the mine, and a great explosion demolished the entrance, sealing it firmly. The other orcs ran over, shocked and confused, while Jura flitted back into the tree and the man began to shout in awe that the spirit had predicted it, pointing at her. One guard in particular, the captain, scolded him, saying that it was obviously just a bird. Levelling his bow to shoot at the raven, Rinzler, still invisible and walking by, deftly snapped his bowstring. This sealed the matter, and the other three orcs placed their weapons down and fled in an awestruck panic, yelling that the spirits were bringing back the old ways. Gorgoroth Teleported out of the mine, having lead the orogs deeper in, and the group decided it was time to dethrone the king. Passing first by the druid's cottage to pick them up, they all returned to the Longhouse. They found that the warchief had left with some hallucinogenic herbs and walked off into the woods, despited his serious wounding; the elders were unfazed, saying that if he survived, he would be back in a few days. The Pathfinders summoned the River Queen and decorated it with an orcish standard, then boarded along with the druids and some of the elders. They drove the boat downstream, followed by a few other elders in their canoes; floating past the lumber camp and the village, they called out to the people, who followed with curiousity and excitement. By the time they reached the fortress, several hundred men, women and children had joined their parade to watch Gorgoroth challenge the king. The guards stationed at the front were confused and shocked by the huge gathering, and quickly fetched the king, who walked out to speak to Gorgoroth. The barbarian issued his challenge; the king, obviously nervous, made to excuse himself so he could "go fetch his weapon". Not to be denied, Gorgoroth lept forward, savagely attacking him. In an attempt to gain the upper hand, the king cast Fly on himself, and called for four nearby orog guards to attack the challenger. Assuming that his action wouldn't be considered interference, Rinzler threw an extract of Fly to Gorgoroth, who caught the bottle in his mouth, shattering it to bloody yet still useful effect: he flew up after the cowardly king, hitting him again and again. Finally, positioning himself over his opponent, Gorgoroth summoned the River Queen and dropped it on the king, who could not dodge in time. The boat smashed into the ground, crushing the king to his death. During the final few moments of the battle between the two orcs, several potent explosions rocked Jura, Kat and Rinzler. Knowing that it must be the Fifth hidden with Invisibility, Rinzler called out to him mockingly, insulting and toying with him. For the briefest of moments, the lich could be seen glaring at him with absolute hatred, leveling a highly-advanced handgun. Three shots rang out, and Rinzler collapsed in an instant. Gorgoroth ran over, his fight completed, and coaxed him back to consciousness. No sooner then he was awake, he made another snide remark, and the Fifth, again only visible for a split second, glared at him with pure livid rage before shooting him in the neck, killing him soundly. Jura, who had spotted the lich within that fraction of a moment, lunged forward and cast Heal upon him, wracking his undead body with waves of potent disruptive energy. Sparkle Pony lashed out and finished him off, but revealed a large explosive that was hidden within his otherwise-empty chest cavity. Everyone dodged for cover, and the Fifth's now-lifeless corpse exploded violently, leaving a large crater in front of the fortress. With the spectacle ended, the orcs, confused yet overall pleased with how the event had turned out, began to mill back to whatever they were doing earlier. Kat immediately teleported herself and Rinzler's body to Willowdale and had Rinzler raised, Gorgoroth and Jura remained to speak with the orc people regarding their new freedom. The orcs decided to repurpose the fortress as a lodge, and the king's coffures were emptied and divvied out amongst the people. The two Pathfinders collected a few items of interest, including the pre-apocalyptic gun that the Fifth had wielded and a scroll that proved the orc king's allegiance to the Dead Nation. They also claimed the king's body, lest the Dead Nation use it for nefarious purposes. Gorgoroth and Jura spent the night at the village, and on the 8th returned to Willowdale. Outpost 31: Kythorn 10th Gorgoroth, Kat, and Jura travelled to the Everice to find Outpost 31. The Pathfinders were easily able to find the dwarven outpost using powerful magics. Once inside, they found the structure completely empty of living creatures. Several dwarven bodies were discovered, though nowhere near the twenty dwarves of the original expedition. Further exploration uncovered a winter wight - a powerful creature of ice and hatred - which the Pathfinders were narrowly able to destroy. The Pathfinders also located a block of ice; its top had been taken off, revealing a space that could once have contained a large creature. Examination of the log book of the expedition's leader, Dwogen Eskurr, indicated that they had found a dark figure frozen in the ice and excavated it for study. The creature was estimated to have been frozen since before theApocalypse. Shortly after they returned to camp with the block of ice, a blizzard set in, trapping them in the outpost. Not long after, the outpost's scribe was found murdered, and the emergency portal scroll he carried destroyed. Information regarding the last days of the outpost is limited, but it appears that the dwarves fell to madness and treachery, possibly assisted by the creature from the ice. The creature was described as a large blue-skinned woman dressed as a barbarian, leading to some speculation regarding the Hyperborean Queen, who is said to create winter wights. Though the identity of the creature is unclear, Dwogen Eskurr's final observations indicated that it left the outpost moving west. The Wisdom of the Witches and the Dwarf Fortress: Kythorn 13th-17th On the 13th of Kythorn, Gorgoroth, Kat, Rinzler, and Ru set out with the intent to find the Dwarf Fortress, said to be located in the Trollveggen. Since their goal was to establish an alliance with them in order to reunite the fortress with the Undermountain Inn and the dwarves of inner Laurasia, as well as to enlist their aid in the upcoming fight against the Necromancer, they decided that bringing a dwarf with them would help their case. To this end, they invited Yeslick to join them. Rinzler insisted on flying the ornithopter, so due to the heavily inclement weather around Willowdale, they first used the arcane portal to begin their trip at the Rheic Shores. With Rinzler flying the plane, Gorgoroth manning the mounted crossbow, Ru and Yeslick riding as passengers and Kat flying beside on Sparkle Pony, they travelled north, taking a highly circuitous route to satisfy Rinzler's curiousity. On their way, they found a large bronze dragon napping on the shore. They landed and came up close to it, but since it didn't wake, they opted not to disturb it. Instead, they left a few notes for it to read when it woke, inviting it to come and visit. Continuing on, they spotted a circle of sea hags swimming about a beached ship, but they opted not to investigate. Eventually, they reached the end of the shores, where the Rheic Sea lapped directly at the edge of the Winterpeak Mountains. Small ice floes began to appear with regularity in the water, which is where the group came upon an ice drummer, manned entirely by frozen wraiths who were once seafaring barbarians. Believing this to have some connection to the Hyperborean Queen, they dropped down to investigate, leaving Yeslick flying in the plane with Sparkle Pony piloting it. Ru, Gorgoroth and Rinzler made short work of the chilling undead, but found that there was nothing else of import on the spartan boat. They questioned for a moment what to do with all of the remains and the ship itself, but by this point the mast had caught fire from the fallout of their attacks, so the group somewhat sheepishly flew off, leaving the ship of corpses slowly burning and adrift. Carrying north, the ice eventually came to cover the majority of the water, marking the Pathfinders' entry into the Tethys Ice Floes. They spotted a large black wolf running along the ice, which turned into a grey, humanish form when it saw the plane overhead. Gorgoroth shot at it, which prompted it to take on the form of mist and blow away into the chill air, marking it as a vampire. Further north, they began to hear the sounds of women singing a song about the ice; looking about, they saw a strange blue fire burning on a large floe with three women chanting about it. Ru, able to easily leap down from the flying plane, approached the circle of frost hags while Rinzler landed; Kat, terrified and distrustful of "witches," opted to stay high in the air. The hags welcomed Ru, and later Rinzler and Gorgoroth, introducing themselves as the wisest of women, bearers of more knowledge than any other circle, and that they would share their wisdom for a price. When asked what the price was, they originally asked for a child, but Ru turned down that proposal; they then offered to accept one of the Pathfinders' "heat" as payment. Ru asked for knowledge regarding the Hyperborean Queen, while Rinzler asked how the Necromancer could be destroyed permanently. Gorgoroth was all too willing to leap into their chill fire to hear what they would have to say, but Ru stalled him, trying to think of a better solution. The witches asked then if the child would just please come closer, gesturing towards Kat, and that that would be payment as well, if they could see her closer. Rinzler managed to talk Kat into landing a distance away, which prompted the witches to give a few vague tidbits regarding the Hyperborean Queen. Since Kat was supremely hesitant to go any further, Gorgoroth enthusiastically threw himself on their fire, where his heat was drained from him, leaving him drastically weakened and hypothermic. This frightened Kat further, who now believed both Ru and Gorgoroth to be enscorcelled by the hags' magic; she tried to Dimension Door Gorgoroth away, but he refused. Supplied with Gorgoroth's heat, the hags, previously old and somewhat fish-like in appearance, changed to take on the forms of young, attractive, yet shockingly pale, blue-tinged women. They spoke of the Hyperborean Queen, how she was born of a frost hag who had been tricked and captured by a great barbarian warrior, how she was trapped in the ice and released by a group of dwarves, and how now she sits on her throne in the north, craving power. Born and made of madness, she is an imposing figure who can be defeated through strength of arms, and who is being watched by the Necromancer, who covets her might to add to his own. They also spoke of the Necromancer, how he is made up by innumerable worms, each a soul has has bound to himself. His form is tied to the Bone Ziggurat, the only place where he will physically manifest, and so he must be defeated there if he is to be stopped at all. As well, all of his servants must be dealt with, else they will restore him at their earliest opportunity. When pressed, they suggested that dealing with the servants might not need entail their destruction, but rather "changing" them in some fashion, by reminding them of what they were before they were servants of darkness. Kat asked if the Necromancer might be redeemed, but the witches adamantly stated that he could not; while the servants were once of light but now darkness, the Necromancer always was nothing but darkness. At this point, the witches refused to say more, and emphasized again that the child, Kat, should come closer. Ru and Gorgoroth encouraged her to approach the witches, but Kat remained fearful that they would catch her and gobble her up. The witches, as well as the two Pathfinders, became increasingly emphatic in their desire to have Kat approach, making Kat even more afraid, at which point Rinzler decided that it was enough, and began to lead her away. Furious that Kat would not perform this simple task to help them learn more and that Rinzler undermined their efforts, Ru and Gorgoroth shouted out in fury and confusion. Angered as well, the witches cursed the alchemist, stating that he had a heart of ice, and that he would live cold, apart from others for as long as he lives. Not turning back, they returned to the plane, with Gorgoroth and Ru catching up after apologizing and thanking the hags for what they told them. Rinzler healed what he could of Gorgoroth's weakness, but was unable to do anything about the hypothermia, so they set off for the Dwarf Fortress as quickly as they could. Flying through the night over the Winterpeak Mountains and the Sawtooth Vale, the group made it to the edge of the Tollveggen by daybreak; everyone was exhausted, and Kat fell asleep as soon as they touched ground. The group easily found the tower that marked the entrance to the fortress, where they were stopped by a guard. After brazenly calling out to him and, by Yeslick's suggestion, insulting him profusely, the guard decided that he liked the cut of their gib, and allowed them entrance. When they said they wished to speak to the leader of their people, he replied that there were two: Bognar Axeaten of the military Blacksteel Clan, and MacGullan of the mining Bannockburn Clan. He said that the two do not get along in even the loosest of senses, often coming to blows after the shortest of meetings, so they decided to speak to Bognar first. Bognar turned out to be a studious yet dour person. He greeted them with disdain and soundly rejected their offers of allegiance; the dwarven people were more than capable of dealing with their own problems, as far as he was concerned, and the issues of other races were not of their concern. He burned the letter they presented him from the Laurasian dwarves, saying that real dwarves would not hide from danger behind a wall. Despite Gorgoroth's aggressive manner and Ru's pleading, he would not hear any more from them, so they left his office. Carrying on to meet MacGullan, they were led to his workshop; when they approached the door, an explosion blew it open, and a dwarf tumbled out of the room, covered in soot and holding the ruined remains of a firearm. He blustered good-naturedly about the faults of his experimentation, and Rinzler, intrigued, strode into the smoky room, finding it a combination alchemy lab and gun shop. Scanning over the materials, he quickly identified the gunpowder as the limiting factor to his work, and began writing out the formula for powder better-suited to his needs. The dwarf, still talking to the others, saw him writing and glanced over to see what he was doing. Realizing that the notes were the solution to his problem, he became exuberantly excited, pulling out his formula book. At this point, he realized that he had not yet introduced himself, and said his name was MacGullan, thane of the Bannockburn clan. The two discussed firearms, as the dwarf mentioned that he was trying to improve upon the design of the inferior weapons found in the possession of nearby orcs. Rinzler explained that these weapons were all in fact being copied from one man's work, and that the orcs were having a notoriously poor time learning the trade, explaining their quality. With that, he showed the thane his gun, the revolver that he had taken from the Fifth; the design intrigued and excited the dwarf, which multiplied ten-fold when he was told that it actually pre-dated the apocalypse. At this, Ru exclaimed that this was no time to be talking about guns, as they had important things to discuss; Rinzler disagreed and cut her off, using the revolver as a segue into the might of the Dead Nation. The group told him of the Necromancer and their desire to enlist the dwarves' help; the thane offered to take their request to the people, putting it to proper dwarven vote. Pleased with this, the Pathfinders rested for the day at the fort, sleeping through the morning and attending to their own business in the afternoon. Kat visited Bognar, as she had slept through their original meeting, and told him simply that the Necromancer was going to do something during the eclipse and that he should know; Bognar at first assumed that she had some sort of alterior motive or hidden ploy, and was very confused when she promptly left, pleased that she had accomplished her goal. Gorgoroth found a healer to mend his hypothermia, and invited her to come and help him build a city he was planning on founding near Gorgoroth's Bridge. Rinzler spent his time with MacGullan, who had gathered every reasoned alchemist and crafter in the fort to come and learn from him, and Ru found a bar, where she danced and tried to sway public opinion towards their cause. In the evening, the dwarves put the motion to a vote after hearing arguements from both thanes and the Pathfinders present. The vote fell in favour of allegiance with the Pathfinders, after which there was held the traditional post-vote feast. The Pathfinders celebrated with their new allies, and returned to Willowdale in the morning. Destruction of the Gem Mines: Kythorn 18th Halstein, Jura, Rinzler, and Ru set out on the 18th with a single goal: to destroy the gem mines operated by the Dead Nation. They teleported to the position of the drow druid who they met with earlier, and learned from him the basic layout of the mines. From there, the druid shifted into the form of an archaeopteryx and flew off, waiting to assist the slaves in escaping. The Pathfinders strode into the vacinity of the mines, making no effort to hide. They found most of the slaves aboveground in pens, due to the early hour; they set the guard tower on fire with an explosive bullet, slaughtered the bugbear guards and freeds all of the slaves, telling them to flee to the nearby Drow Village. When the slaves had escaped, the group lept into a minecart and screamed down into the depths of the mines, fleeing from a contingent of armoured undead that had started after them. Foiling their pursuers, barely making tight turns and destroying everything in their wake, the group sped down the tracks in their cart, picking up a Charmed bugbear on their way. By the time they reached the lowest depths, they had blown up a dam, flooding the majority of the tunnels. Climbing out of the cart, the bugbear fled, knowing that he would be in serious trouble, while the Pathfinders looted a massive horde of uncut gems from the tunnels. Knowing that the slaves were freed and the mines utterly ruined, they carried on into the farthest cavern to find the command post of the foreman: the Sixth. Entering into the raised structure, they found it a combination office, wizard's lab and lavish boudior. Inside was a bathing pool, a smorgasboard of cosmetics and gowns, a cage with three captive maidens, two enchanted to be calm and vapid and the third unconscious, and, lounging on a litter, the Sixth herself. They had a somewhat strained conversation with her, where Ru very quickly took personal offense to the lich and her motivations. Everything quickly came to blows: Rinzler and Ru assaulted the generally unprepared Sixth, while Halstein and Jura contended with an Ecorche. Rinzler managed to inject her with a full bottle dosage of memory potion, which stunned her for a moment, before she exclaimed that she just had the oddest experience: she had relived every moment from her "glorious birth, to her glorious death, to her even more glorious rebirth", and if she had a choice, she would do everything again. Eventually, the Pathfinders overcame both of their foes; they collected what little of worth was in the building, rescued the maidens whose fate was apparently to be bled for the bathing pool, and destroyed the magical effects in the room. They stepped outside, and Halstein began destroying the supports of the building. However, in a moment, the Second and Fourth teleported in, prompting the Pathfinders to flee just as swiftly back to Willowdale. Worldwide Allegiances: Kythorn 18th-23th A group of Pathfinders set out to forge allegiances with all of the peoples they have met on their travels, attempting to find allies for an upcoming strike against the Necromancer and the Dead Nation. They spoke to the leaders of Marten's Dam, the Firewalker Tribe, Gullykin, the Sunken Fort, Korred, a few villagers from the Primeval Jungle visiting the Great Tree Shrine, Daxon'Praxon Maysillius, the hobgoblins of the Farsang Encampment, Arcade, Alsea, the Orc Village, the First Orc, the Brimir Aquarium, Ashi-Gompa and the Black Falcon Lodge. Many of the groups offered aid in some form or another, whether it be fighters or supplies. Two Dogs Hunting, the burgomaster of Marten's Dam, offered lumber and a few soldiers, more out of a desire to keep up appearances then any real concern for the situation. The Gullykin halflings offered some supplies, but had nothing else to give. The Pathfinders thanked them for assistances new and old, as they had given much during the last battle. The Firewalkers offered all of the help they could give: they offered to set a large distraction (see: raging fire) wherever and whenever the Pathfinders would like. The lizardfolk of the Sunken Fort, skittish and terrified of the armed Pathfinders, fled at the sight of them. They were given a warning anyways, but it is unclear whether they will do anything. Korred was told of the upcoming struggle, and he said he would be fine, as he was able to take refuge in the woods should any trouble come to him. He also whacked everyone present a few times, just for good measure. At the Great Tree Shrine, the Pathfinders came across a group of primitive men giving thanks at the shrine. They said they came from a village in the south atop a stepped pyramid. They were warned of the Dead Nation's plot, and they took it under advisement. Daxon'Praxon and his wife were informed and said that they would go take refuge in their winter home: an island far off the coast. Daxon also added some extra information regarding Amurru: he has lots of wives, lots of kids, and they're all jerks. The hobgoblins were offered employment under the Pathfinders to fight the Dead Nation. They were hesitant at first, not really wanting to associate with other races, but life in the Fens is hard and inconvenient. Eventually, they agreed to act as mercenaries in exchange for land of their own, and the Pathfinders granted them an area of the Open Steppe outside of Gaahl. When Arcade was approached with the news, his response could be summed up as "you guys have fun with that." His plans include staying under the radar and in the sun. Halstein challenged him at this time, presenting him with the intelligent sword he had forged for him, and the two dueled. Both parties got some good hits in, but Halstein stood victorious at the end. The two shook and agreed to fight again someday. The Grand Astronomer and Blademaster of Alsea were warned of the coming threat; the latter offered a squadron of Bladesingers to assist the Pathfinders. She originally offered twenty, but Kat insisted that they keep all of their forces at home for defense. The Blademaster was surprised at the gesture, but absolutely insisted that ten of the warriors go to their aid, as she said that the last time this threat was faced, they focused on themselves and sent only one person, and the problem was not solved. The elders of the orc village wecomed the group warmly. When presented with the warning, they took the news gravely, and said that they would send as many warriors as they could to help the Pathfinders who had done so much for their way of life. The First Orc, barely concious, said that their warning meant little: he was too far gone to worry about things such as this anymore. However, he gave them two pieces of advice: the Necromancer, should he take over Laurasia, would inevitably turn his gaze to Rodinia, as it was his burning hatred for the distant country that birthed him to begin with, and it might be that this hatred could be used against him. The second advice was that when last someone tried to stop the Necromancer, his motives were unpure, and thus he was unsuccessful. With that knowledge imparted, he fell back into slumber. When the group went to Brimir Aquarium, they first met with Hobort, who spoke to them briefly while Rinzler prepared a resume. Then, Rinzler approached Ironbeard, who reviewed the alchemist's credentials and interviewed him with increasingly difficult and non-sequiter questions, until eventually he was forced to admit that he was indeed fully qualified. Crestfallen, Ironbeard shook his hand and declared him the new curator of the museum. He said that he was now in charge of the facilities' staff, and presented him with the effects of the last curator, including the set of pocketwatches that control the museum's guardian ice golems. Amongst the other possessions, including a suit and a few magical items, was a plain-looking ring, which upon further investigation, contained two Wish spells as well as powerful protective enchantments. The group quickly and heatedly began discussing plans for the wishes: Kat wanted to use one to bring the First back to life, while Gorgoroth demanded pizza. Eventually, Rinzler declared that since the ring was the curator's, his, he was going to wear it for the moment for the protective magics, not the wishes, and everyone could discuss what they would do with them back in town later. Everyone nodded agreement and he put it on, which caused an immediate flash of light. With no provocation, the wishes expended themselves. When the light faded, the ring, now devoid of its wishes, proved to be cursed: it was firmly and completely bonded to Rinzler's finger, and now had the words "Rinzler and Galatea Forever" engraved upon it. Standing next to him, created from the power of the wishes and wearing an identical ring, was a young half-elf woman with pale, metallic-tinged skin, smiling and regarding him. It took everyone in the room less then a minute to declare the two formally engaged; Rinzler, shell-shocked and a deep shade of red, fidgeted uncomfortably while everyone else planned wedding ceremonies and stag parties. Unable to deal with this new development, Rinzler turned to Ironbeard, who had been despondantly cleaning out his desk, and complimented him on his great service, and told him that he hoped they would be able to work together to bring the museum to new heights. This cheered the warforged up immensely, and he vowed to have the museum in ship-shape for visitors as soon as possible. Moving on to Ashi-Gompa, Rinzler, Galatea, Kat, Gorgoroth and Halstein meandered about, each speaking to different people, including Magister Peylon, Vanagandr and Sister Tamoko, warning them of the Dead Nation. Eventually, Gorgoroth and Halstein sought out the Drunken Master, so that Gorgoroth could challenge him. The two had an epic barfight, and the Master eventually admitted Gorgoroth's skill. Wutog met up with them after the fight, and the group all drank heartily. By the time Rinzler and Kat found them, they were incredibly drunk, especially Gorgoroth and Wutog. When Rinzler told Wutog that she had to take over as master of the Left Hand Path and fix the political problems, she balked, not wanting the responsibility. The Drunken Master also denied the position, as he said that he had a personal quest and could not stay in the city. Frustrated with the monk's inebriated shirk of a duty to which she had already agreed, mainly because it stonewalled his progress in enlisting the monks of Ashi-Gompa against the Dead Nation, Rinzler spiked Wutog's drink with Polypurpose Panacea, instantly rendering Wutog stone sober. With righteous indignation, she chopped Rinzler firmly on the head, told him never, ever to mess with a monk's drink again, sighed and declared that they may as well get this over with. The group went to the monastary with the intent to overthrow the leading monks, though the exact amount of violence that they planned to use was unclear. They broke the door down, and a swift punch to the nearest initiate was enough to get everyone out of their way until they reached the chamber of the masters. Inside, they found six older men seated. Wutog declared their intentions with brevity if not finesse, and the masters declared that they should not use violence: it was obvious that in a test of strength the challengers would win, but if they could win a test of wisdom and knowledge, then they would step down, and the Left-Hand Path could lead. Despite confusion amongst the Pathfinders, they agreed to play a game of Go, played entirely with the mind. Wutog's wisdom and insight, combined with Rinzler's intelligence, formed the backbone of their team, though Galatea stood near Rinzler and whispered plays, showing just as much skill and knowledge of the game as either of the other two. The Father of All Swords guided Halstein in what little he knew of the game, and Gorgoroth and Sparkle Pony helped mainly by watching the opposing team and unsettling them. When the game finished, those representing the Left Hand Path were victorious. True to their word, the Right Hand Masters abdicated, removing the amulets that marked their status and gathering their things to go on a pilgrimage. Wutog, now somewhat pleased with the situation, announced them all honourary masters, and agreed to whip some people into shape to help with the Necromancer. The group removed many of the opulant objects from the room, as Wutog declared them unnecessary for a monastery, though she did keep a few of the nicer pillows. Satisfied with their efforts for the moment, the group returned to Willowdale on the 23rd. Once they had returned, Kat used Sending to communicate with a few other individuals, including Djinn of Djinn, who came and presented her and the Pathfinders with a magic genie lamp. Meanwhile, Rinzler rather forcibly set up a meeting between MacGullan of the Dwarf Fortress and the Goblin King of the Goblin Citadel. They agreed to meet in neutral territory, namely Castle Kat, and had a rather prickly discourse mediated by the alchemist. Though their dislike for each other could hardly be denied, they agreed that both of their peoples had much bigger foes to worry about than each other. The very beginnings of trade negotiations were discussed, and at the end, the two even managed to shake hands. Death of the Volcano-God: Kythorn 24th On Kythorn 24th, Alejandra returned to Willowdale from her successful expedition to rally the ULDF. She, Ballantino, Halstein, Jura, and Alyenna set out to slay the dragon Amurru in the ruined city and claim Fragarach. The Pathfinders first teleported to the Church of Abadar so that Alejandra could bless Abadar's Suit with the Angel Tears. They found the Church empty. While blessing the armour, Alejandra received a vision of a paladin carrying a powerful magical sword, a holy avenger, up the volcano. She realized that the paladin had fallen hunting Amurru, and that the sword was now to be found within his hoard. The group then proceeded to the volcano through the city. They were able to remain undetected for most of the journey, until when almost at the volcano they encountered a crowd of dark folk carrying sacrifices of their own kind, bound on crucifixes. The Pathfinders were able to spot the crowd coming in time to grab a few discarded black cloaks and blend unnoticed into the hubbub. When a trio of young dragons began to fly towards the sacrifices, the dark folk scattered. Alejandra announced that she wasn't going to stand by, and immediately challenged the dragons. Together the Pathfinders easily slew the creatures and quickly proceeded to the volcano lair, casting several defensive spells as they entered. They scouted the lair, avoiding the magma seeping through the corridors by magically walking well above it. They encountered a blast door which no one was able to move, but which Jura was able to slip under as a viper; behind the door was a passageway with chambers branching off, all full of immature dragons of various ages. Jura noticed that the young dragons avoided a particular chamber and guessed that this might be Amurru's hoard room. The Geomancer's Wand confirmed that both the Holy Avenger and Amurru were in the direction of the chamber, but Fragarach was in the opposite direction. Hoping to obtain Fragarach before fighting Amurru, the Pathfinders snuck around a separate nest in which three adult red dragons, presumed wives of Amurru, were guarding a clutch of eggs, and found Fragarach resting in a stone in the middle of a pool of magma. The wives noticed the Pathfinders as they passed, but did not leave their eggs. Instead they warned the intruders that the sword was Amurru's prize and that as soon as they touched it they would incurr his wrath. Undeterred, the Pathfinders sent Jura in viper form to the nesting chambers, intending for her to secure the Holy Avenger while Amurru was travelling between his hoard room and the magma pool. Halstein then sprinted and vaulted across the stones leading up to the sword, pulled it free from the stone, and dashed back to the entrance of the magma pool so as not to engage the dragon directly over the magma. A roar echoed through the complex and Amurru suddenly appeared at the roof of the magma cavern. The group fled from the magma cavern for more neutral ground with Amurru pursuing Halstein directly. Jura hearing the roar from the wrong direction realized that she could either retrieve the sword or help her friends fight the dragon, and turned around towards the fight. All parties met in the middle of the complex. Amurru first ordered Halstein to return his prize, and when Halstein resisted the magical suggestion breathed fire and then focused his attacks entirely upon the barbarian. Halstein managed to land several particularly strong blows, staggering the dragon repeatedly, while Ballantino kept the entire party in fighting form with assitance from Alejandra and Jura and Alyenna provided ranged support. Finally, Halstein dealt the killing blow, sinking his blade into Amurru's spine. At this, the volcano erupted. It appeared that indeed Amurru's presence had kept it constantly on the brink of eruption for many years, and that his death had destabilized it. Since they had been forewarned of this possibility by Valconey, the Pathfinders responded quickly. They ordered the wives who had been cowering during the fight to open the blast doors before everyone was buried, and the wives obeyed almost before being asked. Amurru's body was hastily stored in a Bag of Holding V borrowed from Valconey for the purpose. The wives fawned over Halstein, thanking him for killing Amurru; it appears that Amurru was considered evil and cruel even by the standards of red dragons. Halstein told the wives to tell the story of his greatness and to fight against the Necromancer, and sent them away. The Pathfinders then set to packing the hoard into their own bags of holding. In the process, Alejandra retrieved the broken Holy Avenger and Jura discovered and restored the petrified Spugnoir, creator and pilot of the crashed ornithopter of the Ashen Plains. Forging Arms: Kythorn 25th-Flamerule 1st A week was taken by the Pathfinders to attend to business matters, such as forging weaponry and scouting the land. Several suits of armour were crafted or enhanced using Amurru's hide, the Holy Avenger from his hoard was reforged into a gauntlet, and the Pathfinders read several magical books found in the hoard.